Mower.



No. 755,533. PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904.

G. J. PATTON & S. A. MARSTELLER. MOWER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 1903.

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.No. 755,533. PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904. G. J. PATTON & S. A. MARSTELLER.

MOWER.-

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

No. 755,533. PATBNTED MAR. 22, 1904. G. J. PATTON & s. A. MARSTELLBR.

MOWER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9. 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

IN VEN T lOS I g2 06% I Attorneys.

WITNESSES mr. NoRms warms co. womumu. wASNmGTnN, 0.1,

UNITED STATES Patented March 22, 1904. Y

. ATENT FFICE.

GEORGE JOSEPH PATTON AND STELLER A. MARSTELLER, OF NOKESVILLE, VIRGINIA.

MOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent-No. 755,533, dated March 22,1904.

Application filed April 9, 1903. Serial No. 151,790. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE JosEPH PAT- TON and STELLER A. MARSTELLER,citizens of the United States of America, and residents of Nokesville,Prince William county, State of Virginia, have invented certain new anduse ful Improvements in Mowers, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had therein to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a mower pro videdwith our invention, one of the wheels being removed; Fig. 2, a sectionalview on the line 2 2 of Fig. llooking downward; Fig. 3, a bottom View;Fig. 4, a detail perspective showing the manner of locking the seat andfreeing the wheel-braking mechanism, so that it may be operated by thefoot of the driver; Fig. 5, a detail perspective showing the means forengaging the wheel-braking devices with the seat-standard; Fig. 6, adetail perspective showing more especially devices for automaticallybraking the cutter-driving mechanism; Fig. 7, a detail view of part ofthe wheelbrake; Fig. .8, a detail perspective showing the manner oflocking the wheel-brakes against the Wheels; Fig. 9, a detailperspective showing the devices for automatically disengaging thedriving mechanism; Fig. 10, adetail view of a supplemental springadapted to be attached to the seat.

It is well known that many accidents hav occurred in using mowers by thedriver being accidentally thrown from his seat over upon or in front ofthe cutter-bar, and this danger is greatly increased in operating themower in rough fields, especially as the grass often hides thedepressions and obstructions and the driver is subjected to the jarwithout warning.

It is the object of our invention to absolutely do away with thisdanger, and in attaining this object we provide means whereby when theseat is relieved of the drivers weight devices will be automaticallyoperated where by the driving mechanism will be thrown out of gear andat the same time braked and also a brake applied to thetransporting-wheels of the mower, whereby the cutter will be stoppedinstantly and the machine also will be stopped, as more fullyhereinafter set forth.

Referring to the drawings annexed by the reference-letters, a designatesthe drivers seat, which is attached to a horizontal plate 5, which inturn is pivotally connected to a pair of parallel standards 0, whoselower ends are suitably pivoted to the frame of the machine. Dependingfrom the rear end of the plate I) is a finger or bracket CZ, andconnecting the lower end of this bracket with the front of one of thestandards is a contractile spring 6, which passes through a hole in therear standard. The contractile action of this spring normally holds thestandards upright, and

the parallel arrangement of the standards maintains the seat in ahorizontal position at all times. If additional resistance is required,as when a heavy man is to drive, a supplemental seat-spring f ispreferably employed, this spring consisting, preferably, of a pair ofspring members connected together at their upper and lower ends bycross-bars, this supplemental spring being applied as shown in Fig. 1,its upper end engaging with a pin g on the rear face of the rearstandard and its lower end suitably engaged with the frame of themachine. This spring may be readily detached by disengaging its upperend from p 0- The eutter-bar-driving mechanism consists of any suitablegearing, that shown consisting of the transverse counter-shaft 7t,provided at one end with a crown-gear 2', adapted to engage a pinion jon the main driving-shaft k, and at its other end with a broad-facedpinion Z, engaging the driving-gear m on the axle. This shaft h isslidably mounted, so that the crown-wheel may be disengaged from pinionj, and this shaft is moved endwise by means of a sliding bar 7L, whichis mounted in a bearing 0. The outer end of bar a is provided with a pin9, which is engaged by the inclined slot of a shifting plate 12,slidably mounted on the bottom of the frame and provided with an uprightarm q, the upper end of which extends above the frame of the machine andis vertically slotted.

The front end of shaft k is connected by the usual pitman r to thecutter-bar and its rear end is provided with a fly-wheel s, the objectof this fly-wheel being to steady the movement of the cutter and storeup power that will serve to run the cutter in turning the mower, so asto avoid leaving uncut any of the grass.

Working in the slot in the upper end of arm g is a pin t, projectinglaterally from a foot-lever pivoted on the frame, whereby by depressingthe forward end of the foot-lever the sliding plate p may be slidforward and I the crown-wheel 1; disengaged from the driving-pinion. Tonormally draw back the footlever, and thereby tend to normally hold thecrown-wheel in engagement, a coil-springs is attached at its forward endto the foot-lever and at its rear end to a stationary part of the frame.

To disengage the crown-wheel by the upward movement of the seat, thefollowing devices are employed: Attached to the lower end of the hangerd is a pivotal link w, and pivotally connected to the forward free endof this link is the upper end of a crank w, pivotally supported on theframe, and attached to or formed on this crank is another crank y, theupper end of which is pivotally connected to a rod .2, which extendsforward and is pivotally connected to the footlever 14. The rod 2 isformed of two telescoping parts, whereby the foot-lever may be operatedindependently of the automatic devices.

While the seat is normally elevated the connecting-rod a will be pushedforward and the driving mechanism normally held out of engagement. Whenthe seat is depressed by the weight of the driver, the rear section ofthe telescopic rod 21 is drawn backward, therehaving a dependent arm 0?,whose lower end is pivotally connected with a rod 6, which in turn isconnected to a crank on a rock-shaft f, mounted transversely of themachineframe. Secured to this rock-shaft is an arm g, to the rear end ofwhich is pivotally connected adepending link it, whose lower end ispivotally and slidably connected to a bellcrank lever z", the dependingend of this lever being connected to the free end of abrakebandembracing the fly-wheel 8, this brakeband being arranged to normallyclasp the wheel. When the seat is in its normal or elevated position,the brake-band is free to clasp the brake-wheel, and thereby stop thecutting apparatus the instant it is thrown out of gear by the devicesheretofore described; but when the seat is depressed the pin a depressesthe lever 0.

rear end of cam b, and thereby rocks shaft f and through the medium ofthe connecting devices described expands the brake-band j and releasesthe wheel, leaving the mechanism free to be operated.

To limit the movement of the seat, a rod in is pivotally connected tothe frame and extended upward and forward and provided with a slot, inwhich works the pin a; but of course any other suitable device may beemployed for this apparatus.

The wheel-braking devices are constructed as follows: The brake-shoesare carried on the ends of cranks carried by a rock-shaft Z, journaledon the under side of the rear end of the frame and provided with acrank-arm m, extending up through an opening in the frame. and connectedby a link n to a footlever 0, pivoted to the frame near its forward end.To normally draw back the foot-lever and remove the brakes from thewheel, a coil-- spring q is employed, which is connected at its forwardend to a lateral pin r on the footlever and at itsrear end to astationary part on the frame. To automatically lock the brakes on whenthe foot-lever 0 is pressed forward, a suitable spring-catch 3 may beemployed, this catch being provided with a notch for the reception ofthe pin r and having its forward end working through a vertical staple tand bent laterally at u to form a foot-piece by which the latch may bedisengaged from pin 7" by the driver.

To automatically apply the brakes against the action of the spring q, alateral pin a) is attached to the rear standard and engaged behind anupright spring-bar w, as shown in Fig. 5, this spring-bar being attachedto rockshaft 00, journaled on the frame and having an upright crank-army, whose upper end is pivotally connected by a link 2 to the foot- Itwill be observed that while the seat is in its normal or upright.position pin 41' forces arm w forward and through the medium ofthe'connecting parts holds the footlever forward against the action ofthe springs q, thereby normally holding the brakes on the wheels. Whenthe seat is depressed, spring g draws back the foot-lever and releasesthe brake-shoes from the wheels, the spring-arm w being compelled tofollow pin 4). To look the seat in its depressed position, as when thedriver desires to walk behind the machine while cutting, a lever a isemployed, which is pivoted to the frame to the rear of the seatstandardand is provided with a notch E, which is adapted to engage over pin oand hold the seat down against the action of its springs c and f. Thuslocking down the seat of course holds the driving mechanism inengagement, the brake-band off the fly-wheel,and the brakeshoes off thesupporting-wheels. To lock the seat in its upright position, said leveris provided with a notch c at a point above 6 which is, like notch 6adapted to engage the pin '0. When the lever is thrown forward to lockthe seat in its upright position, a slight beveled lateral projection (Zabove notch c strikes against the inward and downward turned end 0 ofarm w and disengages it from pin 1;, thereby freeing the brake devices,so that they may be applied at will by the foot of the driver. This isparticularly desirable while the machine is being transported from placeto place over roads. To prevent the downward-extending end a fromengaging over the rear edge of the lever, said part is provided with aforward-extending plate or arm f and to prevent said arm w from engagingbehind pin 0; when it is shoved off the same by projection (Z saidspring w is provided with a forward extending plate g which when saidarm w is disengaged from the pin normally bears on the extreme end ofsaid pin.

To hold lever a in an upright position and away from the mechanism, asuitable spring stop and guide if is employed.

It will be observed from the foregoing that this invention is broad inscope and not confined to the specific construction shown and described,as many changes may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention in the least. Any suitable wheelbraking devices may beemployed, and likewise with the braking devices of the cutter mechanism,and also the disengaging devices,

the invention consisting in its preferred form in means performing thesefunctions automatically by the rising of the seat when relieved of theweight of the driver.

In view of the fact that our invention is not confined to the specificdetails shown we desire it understood that where the term seat member orbody member is used in the claims it is intended to include not only aseat, but also any device attached or adjacent thereto which when in itsnormal position will occupy a position usually occupied by some portionof the body of the driver when he is seated and which will therefore beforced out of its normal position when the driver seats himself.

It will be understood that the wheel-brake does not depend foreffectiveness upon the friction of the shoes upon the tires, but actsafter the manner of a pawl-and-ratchet device, as the peripheries of allmower-wheels (as is well known) are provided with one or more series oftransverse lugs to increase the traction, and the shoes engage theselugs squarely when brought against the tires by the actuating-spring,and thereby act as an absolutely positive stop, making it impossible forthe team to draw the machine along without sledding it or stripping theprojections from the tire. It will be observed, therefore, that thebrake-actuating springs need only be strong enough to draw the shoes tothe wheels the instant the seat member is released. In order tofacilitate this locking action of the shoes, each shoe is provided ateach end with a transverse lip or flange a Having thus fully describedour invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In combination with a mower, a movable body member, a device fornormally holding it in position, means actuated by the body member forautomatically throwing into operative position the cutting mechanismwhen the body member is moved out of its normal position by the driverin seating himself, and a manuallyoperated device for stopping thecutting mechanism independently of the movement of the body member, thisdevice being connected directly to said automatic means.

2. In combination with a mower, a body member and devices for normallyelevating it, means actuated by the body member for automaticallybraking the cutter mechanism and also disengaging it when the bodymember is elevated, and foot-operated devices for stopping the cuttingmechanism independently of the body member, these devices beingconnected directly to said automatic means.

3. In combination with a mower, a depressible seat member and means fornormally elevating it, devices actuated by the seat member forautomatically stopping the cutting mechanism when the seat is elevatedand automatically freeing it when the seat member is depressed, andfoot-operated devices for stopping the cutting mechanism independentlyof the seat member, these devices being connected directly to saidautomatic means.

4. The combination with a mower, cutterdriving mechanism normally held.out of engagement, means for throwing into engagement the cutter-drivingmechanism by the act of the driver in seating himself, and footoperateddevices for throwing the cutter-driving mechanism out of engagementwhile the driver is in his seat, these devices being connected to andforming part of said means. 5. In combination with a mower, a brakenormally tending to brake the cutter mechanism, a depressible bodymember and means, independent of the means for normally applying thebrake, for normally elevating the body member, and means connected tothe body member for removing the brake, against its normal tendency,when the body member is depressed.

6. The combination with a mower and a depressible seat member,consisting essentially of a pair of parallel uprights or standardspivotally supported on the frame, a seat, pivotally supported on theseuprights, and a spring device for normally maintaining the uprights inan upright position, of means for locking the cutter against action whenthe seat member is elevated.

7. In combination with a mower, a movable body member andspring-actuated devices for holding it normally in position, meansconnected to the body member for stopping the cutting mechanism when thebody member is allowed to assume its normal position, springactuatedadditional devices for stopping the cutting mechanism, these devicesbeing connected directly to said means and being operable independentlyof the body member.

8. In combination with amower, a springactuated body member and meansconnected thereto for normally disengaging the cutter mechanism when thedriver leaves his seat, a spring 4) normally tending to hold the cuttermechanism in engagement against the action of the body member andconnected means, and a foot-lever and connections for independentlydisengaging the cutter mechanism against the action of said spring 1)while the driver is seated.

9. In combination with a mower, a body member and a device for holdingit in its normal position, means connected to the body member forautomatically disengaging the cutter mechanism embodying an extensiblepushrod, a spring normally tending to hold the cutting mechanism inengagement, and a footlever connected to the disengaging devices for thepurpose set forth.

10. In combination witha mower, a brakewheel on one of the shafts of thecutter-driving mechanism, a brake-band normally tending to clasp thisWheel, a seat member and means for holding it in its normal position,and means connecting the brake-band to the seat member, whereby the bandis expanded when the driver is seated and contracted and applied whenthe driver leaves his seat.

11. In combination with a mower, a movable body member and a spring forholding it normally in position, means for automatically stopping thecutting mechanism when the body member is allowed to assume its normalposition and for throwing it into operative posi tion when the bodymember is moved out of its normal position, means for locking the bodymember in either its normal or abnormal position, and spring-actuatedadditional devices for stopping the cutting mechanism independently ofthe movement of the body member, these devices being connected directlyto said automatic means.

12. In combination with a wheeled mower, a movable seat member and adevice for normally holding it in position, means connected to said seatmember for disengaging the cutting mechanism when the seat member isallowed to assume its normal position and for throwing it intoengagement when the seat member is moved to an abnormal position, anddevices connected to said means for automatically directly braking thecutter mechanism independently of the transporting-wheels when the seatmember assumes its normal position and for releasing it when the seatmember is moved out of its normal position.

In testimony whereof We hereunto afiiX our signatures, in the presenceof two Witnesses, this 4th day of April, 1903.

GEORGE JOSEPH PATTON. STELLER A. MARSTELLER.

Witnesses:

J. B. THORNTON, J. RAMEY.

